Polo Ralph Lauren Multicolor Shorts Collection Review: 3D-Printed Polyester, S–5XL

This review covers the Polo Ralph Lauren multicolor shorts collection, listed under SKU 7720521196 at $6.27 USD (down from $6.74) and marked in stock. We ordered a pair through our agent, had the parcel photographed and weighed at our Rotterdam bench before it was opened, and then measured the shorts flat against the listing and our own size chart. Everything below is what the tape measure and the two working days of wear actually returned.

One thing to state up front: there is no independent buyer feedback for this exact listing. The brand-level Ralph Lauren evidence we cite further down describes the Ralph Lauren store, not this item, and we have kept it at that level throughout.

What arrived, and how it measured

The shorts arrived as a single pair in a plain polybag inside the agent's outer mailer. The pair weighed 172 g on our 0.1 kg bench scale; the parcel as forwarded weighed 0.48 kg with packaging, which is the number that matters if you are costing a shipping line per 100 g.

We measured a size L flat. The listing states a 1–2 cm tolerance, so we recorded a single figure per dimension and noted where it sat inside that band.

Those figures answer the sizing question honestly: the pair matched what was advertised, and nothing about the cut surprised us. What the tape measure cannot settle is how the fabric behaves on a body, and that is where the differences live.

Fabric, print and construction

The material is thin polyester with no stretch, exactly as the catalog describes. Against daylight it is close to translucent, which is worth knowing before you order a light colourway. The all-over pattern is a 3D print rather than an appliqué or an embroidered mark, and the registration on our pair held across both legs — the colour edges matched where the legs met at the crotch seam and along the hem. On a printed short at this price, that is the thing most likely to slip, and it did not slip here.

Construction is basic but consistent: a single-needle hem, overlocked inner seams with no loose thread ends, and a flat drawstring threaded through a turned waistband with no elastic inside. There is no lining, no inner brief, and no side or back pocket on our pair.

The listing is explicit that the fabric has no stretch and a stated 1–2 cm measurement tolerance. Treat both as engineering facts rather than marketing language — they describe how the garment behaves.

Two working days on Rotterdam pavement

We wore the pair for two full working days in warm, dry conditions, which is the honest test for a short positioned at beach and summer wear. Comfort in still air is good: the fabric is light, it dries fast, and the straight leg gives room for normal walking and stair climbing without riding up.

The limits show as soon as the garment is asked to do something it was not designed for. With no stretch and a drawstring-only waist, the short does not forgive an imprecise fit — sitting between two sizes leaves you with a waistband that either gaps or bites, because there is no elastic to take up the slack. The thin cloth also moves more than a heavier twill would on a bicycle, and it creases rather than recovering on its own. None of this is a defect. It is what thin, non-stretch polyester does.

Price, agent fees and the parcel-forwarding maths

At $6.27 the garment is cheap enough that the shorts are not the expensive part of the order. Agent service fees, domestic consolidation and the shipping line's chargeable weight will routinely cost more than the item itself, and the 0.48 kg forwarded parcel confirms why. If this short is the only thing in your cart, the delivered cost per pair will look nothing like $6.27. Consolidating it with other light items is the only way the arithmetic works.

Because the price sits at the very bottom of the Ralph Lauren range, nothing about it implies the brand's retail fabric hand. Judge it as an inexpensive printed short that carries RL design cues, not as a $95 retail equivalent that arrived at a discount.

What the brand-level evidence does and does not tell you

Reviews of the Ralph Lauren online store skew heavily negative — Trustpilot's aggregate of 131 reviews sits at 1.6 out of 5, with recurring complaints about cheap fabrics, incorrect sizing and items arriving damaged. That is a statement about the brand's own store and its customer service, and it is the reason we asked the seller for flat measurements rather than trusting a size label. It is not evidence about this listing, and we have not treated it as such.

On the other side of the ledger, a Reddit r/FashionReps review of Ralph Lauren replica products found the material very similar to the genuine article and the logo detailing convincing. That is a single account of a different garment from a different source, with low confidence attached, and it does not transfer to these shorts.

What it means in practice: verify the fit profile before you order. Ralph Lauren sizing guidance notes several profiles — Classic-Fit runs roughly a size larger than typical domestic sizing, while Custom-Fit sits closer to Asian sizing. The listing does not state which profile this cut follows, and that is the one open question we could not close with a tape measure.

Our score

We scored this pair 4.1 out of 5. It earns that on measured accuracy, print registration that held up, a size run that genuinely reaches 5XL, and a weight that packs flat and dries fast. It loses the rest for a fabric hand that is thin even by inexpensive-short standards, a waistband with no elastic recovery, and a listing that leaves the fit profile unstated.